Carswappings.com - Car Swapping service launched in India

This is a discussion on Carswappings.com - Car Swapping service launched in India within Street Experiences, part of the Buckle Up category; NextEra Motoservices Pvt Ltd. has launched a new transport service; www.carswappings.com .
www.carswappings.com helps you swap your car with a ...

www.carswappings.com helps you swap your car with a similar one owned by someone else in another city, where you wish to travel.

www.carswappings.com connects you to your Host (at your visiting destination) who can offer you their chauffeur driven car anywhere & anytime. www.carswappings.com aims to cater its services to 200 major cities and towns pan India. They will start swapping cars from 26th January, 2014.

Seen at the launch were Aman Verma who is the face of www.carswappings.com, along with actress Manjari Phadnis:

The System:

Anyone who owns a chauffeur-driven car can become a member, as a Guest and / or Host.

The service is totally free and no money transactions are involved. Instead, the website uses a Points System. You need 3 points in your account for using a car. You can become a Host to earn points by providing your Car in your own city.

I would not allow anyone else to drive or use my car, to be very honest!

I like the idea, but I love my car more. I take care of it and dont want to leave it at any other user's whims and fancies!

Note from Mod:
This is for chauffer-driven cars only. The article above has been updated to be clearer. A few other replies based on this misunderstanding have been deleted, as they are no longer relevant. Sorry for the confusion!

Last edited by Rehaan : 26th December 2013 at 15:32.
Reason: Adding a note...

If I were to go to an alien city, for my convenience, I will simply book a car from the many car rental companies that have counters at airports and railway stations. Besides this, there are also yellow board cars available outside.

Besides this, will not be comfortable letting my car to someone with unverified antecedents. Its a different matter that there are many non-enthusiasts who might not be too attached to their vehicles to not allow strangers using them.

I have been doing this for quite some time with my closest friends. The unsaid (or said) conditions are quite simple

1. We know & trust each other very well
2. We trust the other one in & out in driving one's car (matters wrt petrol/diesel/etc)
3. We treat the car like our own
4. Any damage/issues are to be handled by the (borrower/) driver

I have used my friends' cars in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Pune and visa versa these guys have used my car in Pune/Mumbai. So far the usage has primarily been within city areas, but neither of us have ever put such a condition on the usage. The cars vary - Punto/Swift/Corsa/Vento/Figo have been used in the past.

I'm not one advocating or against this - primarily it's a matter of trust over everything else. Potentially a lot of problems can happen, but they can happen when I'm in the driver/passenger seat too. I (and I believe I can speak for my friends) see no issues in taking up this risk and the benefits of having your "own" car in a different city are IMMENSE.

I have been doing this for quite some time with my closest friends. The unsaid (or said) conditions are quite simple

1. We know & trust each other very well
2. We trust the other one in & out in driving one's car (matters wrt petrol/diesel/etc)
3. We treat the car like our own
4. Any damage/issues are to be handled by the (borrower/) driver

I have used my friends' cars in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Pune and visa versa these guys have used my car in Pune/Mumbai. So far the usage has primarily been within city areas, but neither of us have ever put such a condition on the usage. The cars vary - Punto/Swift/Corsa/Vento/Figo have been used in the past.

I'm not one advocating or against this - primarily it's a matter of trust over everything else. Potentially a lot of problems can happen, but they can happen when I'm in the driver/passenger seat too. I (and I believe I can speak for my friends) see no issues in taking up this risk and the benefits of having your "own" car in a different city are IMMENSE.

You make a valid point, and a lot of us have been in that boat. The size of the group we trust may vary person-to-person (usually restricted to family or close friends), but trust is the critical factor, as you mention.

Trusting a stranger would be difficult for anyone who cares about his/her car/bike.

Can't Dream of sharing my car with anyone. That too an unknown person from out of town. There are car rental companies to do all that. I wonder what kind of viability study these guys would have done. If they're so gung-ho about it, surely they might have found some niche to work upon.

eh i think its not available for self drive, you share the car with "your own" driver. That is the key point. And when you use, it will be other car with its own driver. Not a self drive.

Quote:

We connect you to the Host at your visiting destination who can conveniently offer you their car with driver to travel locally. You can also be a Host someday and offer your car + driver to the Guest travelling to your city.

The concept is new and is going to fail miserably. Most of the BHPians are car lovers and would never allow their cars to be used by strangers. The driving habits of the strangers are not known. Damages are still repairable but What if the car is used for some unlawful activity? How can one be sure of the credentials of the borrower? Each one of us know that miscreant's can generate fake id's.

Lots of indignation in the replies about letting someone else drive your car. But the site is specific about the car being chauffeur-driven - by a chauffeur whom you allow to drive the car anyway all year round.

Quote:

Originally Posted by parrys

Quote:

www.carswappings.com connects you to your Host at your visiting destination who can conveniently offer you their chauffer driven car that shall be at your disposal anywhere and anytime.

If I did employ a chauffeur and needed to travel to various cities frequently, I would be all for the idea.

Edit: Jaggu pointed out the same. Perhaps a poll can be added to the thread.

What I like about this idea is the "chauffeur-driven" part. Whichever stranger uses your car, it's still driven / controlled by someone you trust (i.e. your chauffeur).

In every other way, this idea is a bomb. It really has no feasibility in India. The segment they're targeting is way too small; chauffeur-driven car owners who travel frequently, and are trustworthy enough to let their car be used by unknowns. Managing the logistics alone in such an exercise is too difficult, and it's impossible to maintain a certain quality standard.

Even with a chauffeur there are two problems :
1. The cars interior are still at the mercy of the user.
2. How will the owner manage without the chauffeur? One may have spare cars but not spare chauffeurs.

In the end I don't see the advantage of all this. You can always hire a taxi at your destination for local travel. Why go through all this pain?

Just thinking out loud; what if a crime is committed, when "your" car is out for some such social service?
The car is still registered in your name, and by law, you automatically become responsible for the situation.